and go make a donation to the Red Cross International Response Fund. Whatever you can give, just give. 
http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main

After the scrutiny into the Clintons' charitable giving, we were naturally interested in what Bush's post-presidential giving might be like. Thanks to super top secret psychic accounting, we can give you a sneak peak into the 2009 tax return and his charitable deductions:

 10) $10, Yale. (How does that damn alumni association keep finding him????)

9)  $30 to Heckuva Job Foundation, devoted to trying to find jobs for Bush appointees with no skills.

 8) $12.75, Girl Scouts. (You can write the Thin Mints off, right?)

 7) $35 to group hoping to salvage wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815

 6) $100 to the Texas Rangers, who are like a charity at this point

 5) 50 cents Jenna gave to saxophonist in DC Metro

 4) $25 to the Barbara Bush Foundation, dedicated to helping resettle Katrina victims who have been overwhelmed by the hospitality of Texas.

 3) $50 to George W. Bush Presidential Library, in exchange for political favors

 2) $100 to that poor Nigerian guy that keeps e-mailing him

 1) TEN charities? Who do you think he is, Gandhi?

 It's a grand total of almost $369, or, in a year in which he made $15 million for "consulting" and "speaking" fees, .000025% of his income. Pretty damn good, if he does say so himself. 

This post is 100% snark-free. There has been a lot of discussion about the Clinton Foundation and some speculation that it is a tax shelter or its motives are otherwise impure. I felt it was important to defend the truly remarkable work it is doing. The foundation is one of the key sponsors (along with Bill and Melinda Gates) of programs in developing countries designed to address AIDS, health, and poverty. Here's some of their projects:

 10) Under HIV/AIDS Initiative, dedicated $38 million to 3-year program in Kenya ensuring children get AIDS treatment.

 9) Brokered agreement with drug companies for discounted AIDS drugs for African countries. Partnered with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the costs of HIV testing for infants in sub-Saharan Africa. Organized 66 countries in a consortium to purchase AIDS drugs and diagnostic equipment at reduced prices.

 8) Launched pilot program in Tanzania to make malaria drugs more available in poor regions of Africa. Made drugs available at a 90% cost reduction, provide patients with information on use of and obtaining the drugs, train local pharmacy employees on diagnosing and treating malaria. The hope is to roll out this program all over Africa if it is successful.

 7) Under Rural Initiative, launched program to train and deploy doctors who will serve three year fellowships in rural areas of Tanzania, Mozambique, and Rwanda.

 6) Formed Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, a 10 year, $100 million program to lift African nations out of poverty. Focus is on encouraging sustainable food sources, building sanitation, and providing clean water.

 5) Under CHDI, partnered with Partners in Health to build a hospital in rural area of Malawi. Built sanitation and water supply for hospital and neighboring village. Renovated local hospital in Rwanda, built sanitation and water for them.

 4) CHDI helped farmers in Rwanda buy fertilizer at a significantly lowered cost. Their goal is to help farmers gain access to advanced technologies and to improve their chances at trade by, among other things, fixing roads, building storage facilities, investing in plants.

 3) Formed $100 million dollar Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative to address poverty in Latin America.

 2) Formed Clinton Climate Initiative to fight global warming. Announced $5 billion program to help major cities worldwide green their buildings. Organizing major cities into a purchasing group to bargain for lower energy costs.

 1) With GHW Bush, formed Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, which has raised over $150 million for rebuilding New Orleans. Has also fundraised for the Tsunami and the California Wildfires. 

 There are certainly questions about the transparency of the foundation, and that story in the NYTimes about the Kazakhstan deal was about Giustra of the Latin American initiative. The nexus of favors/donors is a complicated one. I, personally, don't care. When Bill Clinton dies, he will have left the world a far better place—outside of anything that happened in his presidency. Any one of his programs is world-changing, and there are hundreds. So, as Bill Clinton blusters his way through the campaign trail, remember before all of this started he's had a truly incredible ex-presidency. He's using his connections, influence, intelligence, and negotiating skills to do real, profound good. 

 So, let's finish up this campaign so he can go back to doing it.

After yesterday's shocking announcement that Bill Richardson told the Clinton campaign that Obama couldn't win, intrepid reporters have unearthed several other very surprising statements he made in confidence to the Clintons. Unnamed campaign officials have confirmed every one.

 10) One thing I'm really struck by, Hillary, is how closely your agenda mirrors that of another great American, John Edwards.

 9) A real measure for success in Pennsylvania would be winning by one or two points.

 8) The thing I am most struck by is how little my endorsement really matters.

 7) Wouldn't it be great if we had an election between two people who really loved their country and we could really talk about the issues instead of all this other stuff that intrudes?

 6) You can always judge the health of a democracy by how much value it gives to the voice of the credentials committee.

 5) Really, I don't think Obama Girl is that pretty.

 4) I think you can tell a lot about a man by the way he bowls.

 3) Once I thought I had been under sniperfire, but later the videotape showed it was Pilates class.

 2) Thanks for letting me review your tax returns, Hillary. I see there's nothing there that could possibly be of interest to anyone.

 1) That skirt makes Nancy Pelosi's butt look big.

10) All the 529s will disband. Swift Boat Veterans will say, "We've looked and looked, but there's nothing there!"

 

9) Fox News will change its official slogan to WE REPORT…ON HOW AWESOME HILLARY IS.

 

8) She will reach out her hand to John McCain and say, "Oh, John, you have so much experience!" And John will say, "Oh, Hillary, you have so much experience." And Hillary will say, "Oh, John, you are ready to answer the phone at 3am!" And John will say, "Oh, Hillary, you can answer the phone at FOUR am!" And Hillary will say, "You're right, John, I can."

 

7) In Bosnia, the eight-year-old-girl will have revealed herself to be a sniper, after all.

 

6) The African-Americans, the youth vote, anyone who has ever had a latte, the red states, the caucus states will all say, "Oh, Hillary you scamp! We know you didn't mean those things you said about us. We are recognize you needed to marginalize us for the health of your campaign, and we understand you were just trying to save America from the black guy. Have our votes!"

 

5) Al Qaeda will disband in fear because Hillary is not afraid of phone-answering. They will don flag pins and hold their hand over their hearts during the national anthem and advocate a flag burning amendment and change all their middle names from 'Hussein' (because it’s a well known fact that every terrorist has the middle name 'Hussein') to 'America!'

 

4)  The 47% of the people who disapproved of her before the nomination process will say, "I see now that my dislike for Hillary was a result of my own personal failings," Liberals will praise how liberal she is, conservatives will see she is truly a conservative after all, and the working man will think, "The only one who can understand me is a Wellesley girl from Connecticut."

 

3) Bill Richardson will say, "Holy crap! I am Judas!"

 

2) All the wrongs ever done to womankind will be righted. Every woman above the age of 50 will get a footrub, and every man will turn to his wife and say, "Oh, honey, I'll watch the kids tonight. You rest."

 

1)
Karl Rove will have a religious conversion and devote himself to saving puppies
and orphans and digging old soda cans out of people's garbages for recycling. And
he'll like it.

From the <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/elton-john-keys-it-up-for-clinton">nytimes.com</a>:

<blockquote>Sir Elton John has a new Candle in the Wind.

Mr. John, the legendary British pop crooner who memorialized the late Princess Diana by rewriting the lyrics to his song, “Candle in the Wind,” will be holding a “one night only” solo concert on behalf of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign on April 9 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.</blockquote>

 

As a special tribute to the Senator, Sir Elton has rewritten "Candle in the Wind" yet again. Here is a sneak preview:

CANDLE IN THE WIND 2008

 

<I>Goodbye Hillary

We don't deserve you

You never lost your integrity

And this campaign isn't through.

Obama's a big Muslim

They'll find something on Rezko

And the road to Pennsylvania Avenue

Goes right through Puerto Rico

 

It seems to me

You ran your campaign

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to turn to

When the spin set in

And I would have liked to've voted for you

And all your dreams fulfill

But your campaign burned out long before

Your ambition ever will…

 

You're the President of the people

You'll be a fighter for me

Because I gave 5 million to

Bill Clinton's library.

You struggle for the working man

Lobbyists are people too

Sometimes the truth is a fugitive

Just like  Norman Hsu

 

[CHORUS]

 

As First Lady you did so much

But your achievements went untold.

What was it like when you crossed

The Commander-in-Chief threshold?

You forged Ireland's peace treaty

Into warzones you'll boldly go

As President you can still take

Sinbad and Sheryl Crow

 

[CHORUS]

 

The system's stacked against you

Who knew Texas had a caucus?

The media's biased against you

Even George Stephanopoulos

You're the candidate of experience

Until you face McCain

Then experience will count for nothing

Because you'll represent change.

 

It seems to me

You ran your campaign

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to turn to

When the spin set in

And I would have liked to've voted for you

And all your dreams fulfill

But your campaign burned out long before

Your ambition ever will…

 

Goodbye Hillary

From  an admiring Brit

I sure know about celebrity

If not American politics…</i> 

With the rousing success of the "Change you can Xerox line," the Clinton campaign has been hard at work coming up with lines to drop into Tuesday's debate.

10. That's not 'Change we can believe in,' it's 'Change we can mimeograph!'

9. Everyone says Barack is a Mac, and, sure Macintosh computers are neat, but when you really want to get something done you use an IBM-compatible.

8. We need solutions, not slogans; and I am in the solutions business!(TM)

7. Shame on you, Barack Obama, with your great speeches and your huge rallies and your record-breaking small individual donations and your vastly superior ground game and your getting more votes than me. Shame on you!

6. Your fancy speeches are distracting America from the real issue...which is how America can make me President.

Read more »

Hey, GOP, testing to see how far you can with racial attacks? Here are some examples of racial sabotage from another campaign. Enjoy!
“Well, I think we've made clear that the issue related to cocaine use is not something that the campaign was in any way raising … I think that's been made clear.”
Mark Penn, 13 Dec. 2007, Clinton chief strategist onHardball
**
”It’s not a TV-crazed race. Frankly you can’t buyyour way into it,”  Cuomo said. “You can’t shuck and jive at a press conference,” he  added. “All those moves you can make with the press don’t work when you’re in someone’s living room.”
Mario Cuomo, Albany Times-Union, 10 January 2008
**
“If you have a social need, you're with Hillary,”the aide said. “If  you want Obama to be your imaginary hip black friend and you're young and you have no social needs, then he's cool.”
Anonymous Clinton adviser to The Guardian, 10 Jan.2008
**
“And to me, as an African-American, I am franklyinsulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the  neighborhood –  and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book –  when they have been involved ...
. . .
That kind of campaign behavior does not resonatewith me, for a guy who says, ‘I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’ And I’m thinking, I’m thinking to myself,  this ain’t a movie, Sidney. This is real life.”
Bob Johnson, founder BET 13 Jan. 2008
**
“[Clinton and Obama] are getting votes, to be sure, because of their  race or gender. That's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a  chance of winning here…”
Bill Clinton, 23 January 2008 in South Carolina.
**
In response to a question from CNN reporter JessicaYellin, Clinton  scolded her. “This is almost like once you accuse someone of racism  and bigotry, the facts become irrelevant. The first thing I'd like to say: You asked me about this. Not one single solitary citizen asked  about any of this, and they never do.…And you are determined to take this election awayfrom them. And  that's not right. This election ought to belong to those people who are out here asking questions about their lives...”

Bill Clinton, 23 Jan. 2008
**
After fielding several questions from a crowd ofabout 200 in  Kingstree, Bill Clinton called on a black man standing off to the side of the small stage. The man identified himself as a pastor and told Clinton that "black America is voting for Obama because he's black."
The man also said Democrats are in a “dangerousposition” because if  Obama wins the nomination, voters will put a Republican in the White  House.
“They're not ready to for a black president,” the man said.
Several black audience members nodded their heads.Several said in  unison, "That's right!"
Clinton responded, “First of all, as an American, I have to tell you I  hope you're not right.”
AP News story, 23 January 2008. (Note: The Clintons are documented as planting stringers in audiences, sometime with type-written questions to ask.)
**
In response to this question: "what does it say about Barack Obama that it takes two of you to beat him?" Clinton says that “Jesse  Jackson won South Carolina twice, in ‘84 and ‘88, and he ran a good  campaign. And Sen. Obama’s run a good campaign here; he’s run a good campaign everywhere. He’s a good candidate with a good organization.”
Bill Clinton, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2008
**
Clinton campaign strategists denied any intentional effort to stir the racial debate. But they said they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as "the black candidate," a tag that could  hurt him outside the South.
AP News story 26 Jan. 2008

Ben Smith at < http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0208/Nonviral_video.html l">Politico</a> found this on You Tube.
<object width="425" height="373"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5FvyGydc8no&rel=1&border=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5FvyGydc8no&rel=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"></embed></object>

I'm not sure this is going to help with the youths, but one thing I know: this is pretty much is what Alexander Hamilton was afraid of if we gave ordinary citizens a voice. 
(In case it doesn't imbed--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FvyGydc8no)

Barack Obama's Grammy win tonight for his audiobook of The Audacity of Hope brought a swift response from Clinton surrogates.
10) That's okay; Hillary looking ahead to the TV Guide Awards.

9) Obama not attracting base; Hispanics voted for Alan Alda
8) Doesn't really count; Grammys are caucuses
7) Jesse Jackson won a Grammy in '84 and '88

6) Obama outspent Hillary in ads
5) Obama helped by key Lupe Fiasco endorsement
4) Audiobook listeners elitist, have access to tape recorders
3) Country's problems demand president ready to read out loud from Day One
2) Grammys sexist; Soulja Boy says Justin Timberlake is "pimpin'"
1) This proves Hillary is the true underdog.